Prayer is about us, not the person we are praying for. When we take the time to pray, or commune with “god”, we are surrendering our will to Hers/His. We are not supposed to pray to change a situation…and yet we do…every day.

I believe in prayer, but not in the way many Christians believe in it.

I see prayer as an embarrassing awareness of how selfish we humans (especially Christians) are.

I see prayer as an excuse to not make “his will be done on earth like in heaven.”

I see prayer being about fear…and not about love.

I see prayer as being a tool to judge those who do not pray.

I see prayer as a selfish act. One that involves you….and some power that can’t be seen.

Prayer includes free will but also denies it.

Part of free will is knowing that we can choose to pray or not.

Part of free will is knowing that we can make mistakes…..and they are just that.

When we pray….we are creating a conversation with a higher power. We pray so that we learn how to be “ok” with whatever the outcome is.

So…if you think about it..prayer is actually a really selfish act. It is a time for YOU and the higher power….you ask for things, you thank the higher power things, you want something from the higher power.

Rarely do we pray to be “ok” with a situation.

Mathew 6:9-13

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name,

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors;

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’

The Lord’s Prayer is an interesting set of ideas. All about US in reality!

The kingdom will come before the Will will be done. Interesting!

Lead us not into temptation…interesting. Does God “lead” us into temptation? If he/she does not, then why would we ask he/she not to?

All about us asking the higher power to do things for us.

But when I ask YOU to pray for ME….I am actually asking for you to take on my burden for a period of time because I know there are times I can’t do it on my own.

When I ask people to keep me in their prayers….I am not asking for you to talk to a god…I am asking you to take some of my burden.

When I ask people to “lay hands” on me, in prayer…I am not asking for some magical thing to happen…I am actually asking you to share my burdens with me…share my pain. The more people that “lay hands on me” in prayer….more parts of my burden can be lifted!

So, don’t offer to pray for me. Because prayer does not change my particular situation. Your prayers for me does not even change me personally. Your prayers for me is really about YOU and how YOU feel about a situation.

When someone asks you to pray for them, I will assume they are asking you to take on some of their burden. Taking on some of their burden can be done in many ways.

Homelessness: help with shelter

Poverty: Help with food, groceries, bills etc.

Student loans: help pay them off

Emotional health: help find a therapist/counselor

Issues at home: Ask for specifics and then work to remove the burden

There are MANY other things one can do to actually put hands and feet to prayer. We are not meant to be on our knees…we are meant to be on our feet, using our hands to get things done.

Instead of offering to “pray” for someone, why don’t you offer to take on part of their burden…because then….and only then…does real “prayer” happen.